Chapter 7

Aurora stared at Roth, feeling that horrible dismay unfurl in her chest. Why was he always turning up where she was? Through the dread, she realised that he was ridiculously overdressed. He had a button down shirt and slacks on. To Aurora, he looked as if he was going on a date, instead of to a party.

"I used to think that you were a good listener, Nerd Bird." Roth chided the moment when he recovered from his shock at seeing her.

"Why are you here?" Aurora sighed in annoyance, as she crossed her arms defensively over her chest.

"I heard that a pizza party was going down. Meaning that it's time for you to go back into your little nerd box and stay there." Roth said smugly, as he waved a goodbye to Aurora.

"Why are you such a jerk?" She snapped, her defences firing up at Roth's nasty attitude.

"Do you want a good or a bad year, Nerd Bird? Right at this moment, it looks like you're heading for the worst year of your life."

Roth's smirk only grew wider and she lost the ability to reply to him. She knew that joining Trey would never be good for her, she had just enjoyed being around him. The feeling that her life was no longer in her control choked her up. Her anxiety began increasing at Roth's ever-growing superior smirk.

"Look, Trey invited me here, as in he picked me up in his car and brought me here. He wants me to be here." Aurora stated in a shaky voice that made her sound weak.

"You chose the year of hell, Nerd Bird, remember that won't you." His eyes narrowed to a spiteful glare.

"Roth, what are you doing here?" Trey's voice snapped from behind them.

"I heard that a pizza party was happening." Roth grinned, as if everything was normal.

"Not for you," Trey snorted out a laugh. "I meant what I said before, don't come here and disturb me."

"Trey, mate, what's a pizza party without me?" Roth asked jovially, slapping a hand against his chest.

"In one word: fun," Trey tugged on Aurora's sleeve to pull her away from the door. "Now get lost and don't bother me again." He slammed the door shut on a gobsmacked Roth.

"Wow! I've never seen anyone get rid of Roth like that." Luke hooted.

"Are you guy's friends?" Trey pointed between Luke, Tony, and the door.

"No, they aren't." Aurora answered before they could say anything.

"He's a blow hard." Tony snorted.

"You know, I never did understand the problem that he had with you." Luke turned to Aurora.

"Me either." Aurora shrugged, as the doorbell rang again.

"Hopefully, that's the pizza." Trey pointed a thumb at the door, as he headed down the hallway.

Aurora stood there feeling decidedly awkward. She had seen Roth more times today than during a week of school. Now she had all of Trey's friends staring at her, which wasn't helping her increasing anxiety.

"Let's get that movie on, the pizza has arrived!" Trey called out, making everyone scramble away, and lessening the tension in the room.

"Theatre room?" Laura asked Trey, who nodded.

"Yeah, that's probably the best plan." Trey turned around with a nod to Aurora, who went over to him.

"Follow Laura." He said, as they watched Laura gather up a tray of glasses and head down the hallway.

Aurora took the top pizzas from Trey's pile and continued after Laura. Her eyes went wide at the aptly named theatre room. A huge screen took up most of one wall, as big as any movie theatre Aurora had ever seen. Surrounding the screen were fancy looking lounge chairs that invited one to sit in luxurious comfort.

"Just put them on the table," Laura directed, as she placed the glasses on what appeared to be a bar. "We have a ton of soft drink in the fridge back here." She grinned, as she went to serve.

Aurora placed her delicious smelling pizzas on the table in the middle of the room that sat in front of the lounge chairs. Everyone piled into the room in a hurried group, and Aurora backed up.

"You can sit right there." Trey pointed to a three-seater couch with a perfect view of the screen.

"Sure, but why?" she tilted her head to look at him.

"It's the best seat in the house." His words sounded doubtful, but she shrugged her shoulders and sat down.

"Pizza time!" Mick and Nathan chanted together and everyone laughed at them.

Trey disappeared and CeCe sat down beside her. Aurora felt quite uncomfortable with the girls staring presence. All around them, everyone else gathered pizza and drinks in a happy rush.

"I hope you know that this is Trey's chair." CeCe sounded conversational, but there was a coldness in her tone.

"He told me to sit here." Aurora told her, and the other girl appeared perturbed at her suggestion.

"Hey, Aurora, come and grab some pizza." Trey beckoned, before noticing CeCe with a frown.

Aurora stood and went over to the lessening pizza boxes. Trey handed her a paper plate and she smiled at him in thanks. The way the other boys snatched at the slices, as if they would die if they didn't eat, restored her mood. She watched with amusement, until Trey butted in and asked her what she wanted.

"It doesn't worry me, as long as there aren't any anchovies." She screwed her face up.

"Dimwit! You forgot to add anchovies." Mick thumped his brother on the shoulder.

"I don't like them, so why would I ever order the gross things." Nathan raised his hand for a high five with Aurora, who obliged with an agreeing grin.

"Drama queens, the pair of you." Mick grunted, as he sat down with his plate piled high with slices.

"Is everyone ready?" Trey asked, as he walked back over to the couch.

His face dropped when he noticed that CeCe had draped herself over all three seats. He heard a chorus of cheers, so he picked up the remote. He dimmed the lights slightly, before gesturing for CeCe to move. She reluctantly and quite begrudgingly moved over, while continuing to glare at Aurora.

Trey pressed play, as Aurora sat the furthest from CeCe that she could get. She felt a bit guilty taking the end spot when he sighed. She had already figured out that Trey didn't like CeCe, but she couldn't bring herself to sit next to the other girl.

Trey glowered when he saw the seductive way CeCe was sitting on the couch. He took his seat and decided that the best thing to do would be ignore the blatantly obvious girl. He intended to place his focus on the one girl whom he actually wanted to talk to.

The movie thundered through the surround sound speakers, while the pizza boxes slowly emptied. Aurora enjoyed herself immensely, especially when some of the boys started making jokes at the movie.

Halfway through the movie, Trey offered to take her plate, and she smiled with thanks, as she handed it to him. CeCe shoved her plate at Trey, but he ignored her and she took to pouting.

The second half of the movie became much more intense for Aurora. When Trey came to sit back down, he moved closer to her until their legs were almost touching. When she placed her hand against the couch to adjust her position, his pinkie finger hooked around hers.

She looked to him in the semi darkness to find him smiling at her. Those green eyes glimmered, and she felt swamped with delicious sensations. His skin touching hers had her gulping in a breath at how wonderful it felt.

A few minutes later, CeCe began making some strange huffing noises. She whispered something fiercely to Trey, who firmly shook his head. Aurora could feel the scowl sent her way, but she chose to ignore the other girl.

"Come with me." Trey leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Aurora's shock at such an intimate gesture meant that she almost missed what he had said. His pinkie tightened in hers, and it was all she could do to continue breathing calmly. Trey was a delicious shock to her senses.

He looked towards the theatre door, and she raised her brows in question. He stood, his eyes pleading with her, and she couldn't resist the delightful temptation on offer. She let him lead her out of the room.

"Thanks." He murmured, as he continued walking until he was out on the deck, where the scent and sound of the ocean soothed Aurora.

"For what?" she asked baffled by him.

"CeCe was driving me crazy." He flopped onto the outdoor couch, and used their still linked fingers to make her join him.

"She seems a bit demanding." Aurora offered tentatively, as she sat down beside him, with Trey never relinquishing his hold on her finger.

"She likes to think that we're dating, but she's the last person that I would go anywhere near." He grimaced.

"Why?"

"She doesn't see me; she only sees the advantage that she could get from me."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Aurora frowned, as she leaned back against the couch.

"You know this afternoon with my mum and the clothes that she gave you. She has never chosen CeCe to be one of her models."

"But she chose me straight away." She puzzled through his words.

"She liked you. My mum only chooses models that she actually likes. That annoys CeCe no end, so she tries to pretend that we're dating in the hope that mum might give her a chance." He shook his head seeming perturbed, as he stared out at the ocean.

"I'm pretty sure that it's up to you who you want to date." She replied with a shrug.

"At least you think so." He grinned, and she found herself rather mesmerised by that look.

"I didn't realise that she acted so obvious towards you. It must get annoying."

"Yeah, it does. If it was just one girl that acted that way then I'd probably be alright with it, but it's not." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

"That would drive you crazy." Aurora agreed softly.

"That's why I don't like hanging around her unless I have to." He told her.

"I totally understand that." She nodded in agreement.

"So, are your doing anything tomorrow?" he asked shyly.

"It's holidays and now that I no longer have my job, I'm not doing anything on any day." She sighed

"The guys and I, we we're thinking of going to the water slides if you want to come with us." He looked her way with hope clear in his voice.

"Sure, that would be fun." She accepted with a grin.

"Cool."

They both turned silent, so only the hissing of the constant ocean waves sounded. Aurora looked out over the ocean and couldn't believe the day that she had had. She was marking it up as both the best and the most annoying day ever.

With Trey's finger still hooked around hers, she felt a connection with him that tingled through her delightfully. A hopeful, enchanting feeling swirled through her and she could only wish for it to continue.

"Tell me something that I don't know about you." Trey glanced her way.

"Like what?" she asked curiously, as she tilted her head to look at him better.

"I don't know. Do you have any pets?"

"I had a cat, but she died a few years ago and we never got another one. What about you?"

"We never stay in one place to have a pet. We spend the summer mostly here, but that depends on mum's commitments. In the winter, we're in either Sydney or Melbourne. The rest of the year I'm at boarding school, so a pet has never been talked about in our house."

"That's sad. I loved my cat. She was a great pet. Okay, when's your birthday?" she asked and he grinned ruefully.

"Next week."

"Really?" she glanced to him with a speculative expression.

"No joke, you can go ask Laura, or I can show you my birth certificate." He waved a hand back into the house.

"I believe you." She replied with a quick nod.

"So when's yours?"

"April." She replied casually.

"I'll have to remember." He told her and she felt immensely special at his remark.

"That's where you two got to." Nathan's voice shattered the intimacy between them. Aurora pulled away from Trey, as Nathan strode out onto the deck.

"Why are you being so noisy?" Aurora asked, as Mick also joined them.

"That's just who we are." Mick made a cheering noise for no apparent reason.

"You are officially labelled the noise boys." Aurora smirked at them.

"That's fine with us." Nathan slapped his brother a high five.

"How was the movie?" Trey asked, and the boys began discussing the finer details of the car chases.

"That is so boring," Aurora deliberately yawned, as she heard crying from inside the house. "What's going on in there?" she went to stand, but Trey frowned and shook his head.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Trey asked her.

"Should we sort that, mate?" Mick pointed a thumb into the house.

"Would you?" Trey asked with a wince.

"Sure."

"I won't be long." Trey told them, while Aurora frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Trey, we can't just leave." She insisted and he sighed.

"Sure we can." He muttered. He dared a glance inside and winced.

"Her! She did it." CeCe pointed an accusing finger at Aurora, who felt perplexed.

"Did what?" Aurora asked a tearful CeCe.

"You've been trying to steal Trey from me." CeCe's angry shout had Laura rolling her eyes.

"You haven't got any claim on Trey, so stop trying to pretend that you do, CeCe. God, I'm wishing that I didn't invite you at all. You've spoiled our whole night." Laura snapped and CeCe's tears stopped flowing.

"Like I didn't have anything better to do." CeCe huffed. She gathered what dignity she had left and stormed from the house, slamming the front door as she exited.

Trey let out a breath from beside her and Aurora turned to him. His face relaxed back into a grin, and he seemed relieved to see CeCe leaving.

"Sorry about her." Laura winced, but Trey shrugged it off.

"It's cool. I'm going to walk Aurora home if you guys don't want to do anything else." Trey looked around the room, but everyone appeared ready to leave.

Trey's friends gathered their things and headed to the front door, until only Aurora remained in the room. She bit down on her lip, feeling a little awkward. She had never been alone in a boy's house before, so she wasn't sure how to react.

"Do you want to walk by the beach?" he pointed out towards the deck and she nodded.

"Yes." She replied.

Trey led her down the back stairs to the beach, after locking up the house. They walked closely together down to the shore, with neither saying anything.

"I'm sorry that wasn't the best night." Trey admitted as they walked.

"I don't know. Some of it was pretty nice." Aurora admitted, before ducking her head and blushing.

"Yeah?" he asked happily.

"Yeah." She agreed with a bashful grin.

They went quiet again, until a larger wave splashed against Aurora's legs. She let out a squeal and ran back up the beach in a rush. She giggled to herself at her own silliness, as Trey moved beside her.

He went back to linking their pinkie fingers together in a quick move. That unexpected move took the breath from her lungs. She peered at him, but he looked swiftly away.

"This is one of my favourite times to be down here." She broke the silence, but never mentioned him touching her.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just prefer being down here at either dawn or dusk. It seems more special somehow." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I like it too," he agreed, as they continued walking. "Will you be down in the morning?"

"I normally am. Do you want to go swimming?"

"That sounds like fun. Are you still coming on the waterslide?" he swung their linked fingers together.

"I'll check with my parents, but I'm sure they'll be alright with it."

They walked in silence again, but it wasn't awkward. Aurora was far too busy trying to stop the butterflies from fluttering in her chest because he was touching her.

"Would you make a pact with me?" he turned serious.

"About what?" she asked cautiously.

"Roth." He said and she flinched.

"What, uh, sort of pact?" she enquired carefully.

"That you won't let him spoil the rest of your holiday."

"I'll try." She forced a smile, knowing that Roth was far too used to getting his own way.

"I hadn't finished yet." Trey looked at her firmly.

"Okay, what's the rest?" she was certain that she knew the answer, but asked anyway.

He stopped moving and turned her to face him. His pinkie traced against the edge of hers in a soft caress, while his green eyes focused on her. She was back to being barely able to breath instantly, but the wonderful sensations were well worth it.

"If he says anything to you, like today, I want you to tell me about it." He demanded.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, as she stared up at him.

"I thought that was obvious." Trey ducked his head, seeming embarrassed, before starting to walk again.

"Not to me." She pointed out and he let out a funny noise.

He dropped her hand, and she felt a bit confused at his action. Had she asked the wrong thing? She really had no idea about the way he was responding to her simple question.

"I like you." He said the words into his hands, as he ran them down his face.

Her mouth popped open. Had she heard him right? Did he just say that he liked her? Exhilaration flared in her chest and she felt like jumping around crazily with happiness.

"Did you just say that you like me?" she asked slowly, not wanting to miss his answer.

"Yes." He replied quickly.

"But... but you don't really know me." She turned to him.

"Sure I do. You're fun and you have a great sense of humour. You're nice and you bowl really well..." he trailed off, but in his mind, he added 'and you don't care who my mother is'. "I'm learning new stuff about you every time I meet you and I like it." His hand went into his hair, as if his words weren't coming out the way he wanted.

"Okay, I'll agree to your pact." She told him, feeling flattered by his sweet words to her.

"Good."

They turned to walk up the boardwalk and Aurora decided that it was her time to be brave. She hooked her pinkie around his and continued going without another word. She heard him sigh and he relaxed his shoulders.

They continued to her house, talking over trivial things that they didn't know about each other. Aurora's heart pounded and her stomach fluttered with every second that they touched in such an innocent way. She grinned happily, realising that this was the best day of her life so far, and it all came about from a chance meeting on the beach.